Printing sleeve air pressure mounting apparatus

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for facilitating the movement of a printing sleeve with respect to a cylinder is provided which includes a manifold section having an air chamber therein in fluid communication with an air supply line. The manifold section has a plurality of air ports in fluid communication with the air chamber. An adapter ring is provided which surrounds the manifold section and has a plurality of air ports therein, corresponding in number to the air ports in the manifold section and adapted to be placed in fluid communication with the air ports in the manifold section. A locking collar for fixing the position of the manifold section on the shaft in contact with the cylinder and for fixing the adapter ring in contact with the printing sleeve is provided such that when pressurized air is introduced into said supply line, the air exits the air ports in the adapter ring and expands the sleeve thus allowing the sleeve to be moved with respect to the cylinder.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates in general to an apparatus for facilitating the movement of a printing sleeve with respect to a printing cylinder. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved apparatus for quickly and easily removing a printing sleeve from a cylinder and for quickly and easily installing a printing sleeve on a cylinder.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

In a printing press utilizing rotating printing cylinders, the printing cylinders are placed over shafts. The cylinders vary in outside diameter but have an inside diameter corresponding to the diameter of the shaft. Typically the cylinders are from one to three inches thick. A printing sleeve is mounted on the cylinder by sliding the printing sleeve over the cylinder, and a printing plate is mounted on the printing sleeve. The cylinder and sleeve are connected to a printing press. The printing medium is run past the rotating cylinder such that an image is transferred to the medium. After the press run is complete, the sleeve is removed from the cylinder with the printing plate still attached. The sleeve and plate combination can then be stored and reused the next time the same job is run, saving plate mounting time. To avoid having sleeves slip around the cylinder while printing, the sleeve must fit tightly. This tight fit makes the sleeve difficult to slide on and off the cylinder.

Therefore, it is desirable to have an apparatus for easily and quickly removing the printing sleeve from the cylinder. In the past, to facilitate movement of the sleeve, numerous holes were drilled on the end of the face of the cylinder. Air would be forced into the cylinder and through these holes, creating a cushion of air on the surface of the cylinder. This air cushion would slightly expand the sleeve, which is made from a composite polymeric material, and lubricates the interface between the sleeve and the cylinder so that the sleeve could be easily slid over the cylinder. However, due to the large number of cylinders used in a printing facility, the cost of drilling holes in each cylinder is extremely high.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a simple, inexpensive apparatus that permits easy installation and removal of a printing sleeve from a cylinder.

Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for the installation and removal of printing sleeves which will work with the entire range of cylinder diameters.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for the installation and removal of printing sleeves which is easy to operate.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus which will allow for the rapid installation and removal of a printing sleeve.

These and other objects are attained in accordance with the present invention wherein there is provided an apparatus for installation and removal of printing sleeves which overcomes the problems associated with such apparatus of the past.

The apparatus includes a manifold section having an air chamber therein in fluid communication with an air supply line. The manifold section has a plurality of air ports in fluid communication with the air chamber. An adapter ring is provided which surrounds the manifold section and has a plurality of air ports therein, corresponding in number to the air ports in the manifold section and adapted to be placed in fluid communication with the air ports in the manifold section. A means for fixing the position of the manifold section on the shaft in contact with the cylinder and for fixing the adapter ring in proximity to the printing sleeve is provided such that when pressurized air is introduced into said supply line, said air exits said air ports in said adapter ring and expands the sleeve, thus allowing the sleeve to be moved with respect to the cylinder. For example, in the preferred embodiment, an end section and a locking collar are used at the end of the manifold section opposite the cylinder to exert a force on the locking collar to fix the location of the locking collar with respect to the shaft. Preferably, O-rings are provided to seal the manifold against the cylinder and to seal the interface between the manifold and the adapter.

Also provided is a means for exerting force on the manifold section in a direction toward said cylinder. Such means could include, for example, a plurality of lugs which are attached to the body section and, when tightened, exert a force on the manifold section in the direction of the cylinder.

These and other details, advantages and benefits of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiment hereinbelow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying Figures wherein like members bear like reference numerals and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the sleeve mounting apparatus constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the sleeve mounting apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the sleeve mounting apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the sleeve mounting apparatus of the present invention taken along the line 4--4 in FIG. 3 with the sleeve shown in the uninstalled position;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the sleeve mounting apparatus of the present invention taken along the line 4--4 in FIG. 3 with the sleeve shown in the installed position;

FIG. 6 is an end view of the adapter ring of the present invention;

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of the adapter ring of FIG. 6 taken along the line 6A--6A;

FIG. 7 is an end view of a second adapter ring of the present invention; and

FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of the adapter ring of FIG. 7 taken along the line 7A--7A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings, which are for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention and not for the purpose of limiting the same, FIGS. 1--3 show the sleeve mounting apparatus 10 and FIGS. 4--5 show the sleeve mounting apparatus in connection with a printing cylinder and sleeve.

Turning to FIG. 1, the sleeve mounting apparatus 10 includes generally a manifold section 12, adapter ring 30, body section 40, an end section 50, and a locking collar 70. The manifold section 12, body section 40 and end section 50 could take on various forms and the specific construction of these sections is shown for illustration purposes. These sections are preferably constructed from a metal such as steel, aluminum or brass. The adapter ring 30 and the locking collar 70 are preferably constructed from a polymer. The manifold mounting apparatus is designed to be used in connection with a shaft 80, a cylinder 84 and a printing sleeve 86 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

The manifold section 12 is provided for delivering pressurized air to the adapter ring 30. While the manifold section 12 and adapter ring 30 are shown as cylindrical, as stated above, the manifold section 12 and the adapter ring 30 can assume a variety of shapes provided that the outer diameter 31 of the adapter ring 30 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter 87 of the sleeve 86.

The manifold section 12 includes an air supply line 14 which is in fluid communication with a manifold 20. The manifold 20 includes an air chamber 22 having a plurality of air ports 24 which are angularly spaced around the manifold 20. The manifold section 12 includes a first O-ring 26 and a second O-ring 28. The first O-ring 26 is seated in groove 27 and the second O-ring 28 is seated in groove 29.

The adapter ring 30 is constructed such that its inner diameter 33 is slightly larger than the outer diameter 13 of the manifold 20 such that the adapter ring will fit over the manifold 20. Since cylinders of various sizes are used in printing, it will be necessary to provide adapter rings 30 having different outer diameters 31 to match the outer diameter 85 of the cylinder 84. The O-ring 28 creates an air-tight seal between the manifold 20 and the adapter ring 30. The adapter ring 30 has a plurality of air ports 32 spaced around the adapter ring 30. Each air port 32 on the adapter ring 30 has a corresponding air port 24 on the manifold 20. A pin 34 is placed on the manifold at the same angular location as one of the air ports 24 on the manifold 20. A slot 35 is located on the adapter ring 30 at the angular location of one of the air ports 32. The pin 34 is adapted to be received by the slot 36 such that the air ports 32 will be in alignment with the air ports 24. The adapter ring 30 has a stepped outer diameter such that it has a first section 36, a second section 38, and a shoulder 37 therebetween. A second adapter ring 130 is shown in FIGS. 7 and 7A. This adapter ring 130 has a larger outside diameter 138 than the adapter ring 30, but has an inside diameter 133 identical to the inside diameter 33 of adapter ring 30.

The body section 40 is preferably cylindrical in shape and is provided with three threaded holes 42 for receiving lugs 52. The lugs 52 are adapted to be inserted into holes 42 and to contact surface 16 on the manifold section 12. The body section 40 is slidably attached to the manifold section 12. As shown in FIGS. 2, a slot 46 is provided in the manifold section 44. A threaded bore 45 is provided in the body section 40. A bolt 46 is inserted through slot 44 and threaded into bore 45 such that the manifold section 12 can slide with respect to the body section 40.

A cylindrical end section 50 is provided which has a plurality of slots 54 spaced around the perimeter 55 of the end section 52. The lugs 52 are located in slots 54 in the end section 50. Also, the air supply line 14 is disposed one of the slots 54 of the end section 50 and extends beyond the end section 50. The end section 50 is split such that a gap 48 is formed therein.

A locking collar 70 is provided with an outer diameter 72 which fits into the inner diameter 56 of end section 50. The locking collar 70 has a shoulder 74 which is adapted to abut a surface 58 on end section 50. The collar 70 is split such that a gap 76 is formed therein. A bolt 60 (FIG. 3) is provided in bore 62 in end section 50 such that by tightening bolt 60, the gap 48 closes and the end section 50 is tightened down onto collar 70. The locking collar 70 prevents movement of the sleeve mounting apparatus 10 in a direction away from the cylinder 84. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that various apparatus could be used in place of the locking collar 70 to prevent the sleeve mounting apparatus 10 from moving in a direction away from the cylinder 84.

In operation, an adapter ring 30 is chosen which has an outer diameter 31 which is approximately equal to the diameter of the cylinder 84. This adapter ring 30 is placed over the manifold 20. As shown in FIG. 4, to mount a sleeve 86 on a cylinder 84, the sleeve mounting apparatus 10 is slid over the shaft 80 such that O-ring 26 abuts surface 82 of cylinder 84 to form an air-tight seal between the manifold section 12 and the cylinder 84. The bolt 60 is then tightened into bore 62 such that the locking collar 70 is locked into place on the shaft 80, thus preventing the sleeve mounting apparatus from moving away from cylinder 84. Lug bolts 52 are then tightened such that manifold section 12 is forced in a direction toward cylinder 84 and an air-tight seal is formed between O-ring 26 and surface 82. Air from a pressurized air source (not shown) is then introduced into air supply line 14. The air is preferably at a pressure of 90 psi. The air enters the manifold 20 and exits air ports 24 into air ports 32. The air then exits air ports 32 and exerts a force on sleeve 86 in the radial direction expanding sleeve 86. Sleeve 86 can then be slid over cylinder 84 into the desired position.

To remove sleeve 86 from cylinder 84 (FIG. 5), the sleeve mounting apparatus 10 is placed onto the shaft 80 and locked into place as discussed above. Air is then introduced into air supply line 14 and the air enters the manifold 20. The air then exits air ports 24 into air ports 32. The air exits air ports 32 which expands sleeve 86, and allows sleeve 86 move with respect to the cylinder such that it may be removed from cylinder 84.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will also recognize that various components of the present invention can alternatively be made of a variety of shapes and are shown as in the particular configurations in the drawings for illustration purposes only.

While this invention has been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments, it should be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to those precise embodiments. Rather, in view of the present disclosure which describes the best mode for practicing the invention, many modifications and variations would present themselves to those of skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention, as defined in the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for facilitating movement of a printing sleeve surrounding a cylinder in a tight fitting relationship, the cylinder surrounding a shaft, comprising:an air supply line; a manifold section having an air chamber therein in fluid communication with said air supply line, said manifold section having a plurality of air ports in fluid communication with said air chamber; an adapter ring constructed to surround said manifold section, said adapter ring having a plurality of air ports therein, corresponding in number to said air ports in said manifold section and adapted to be placed in fluid communication with said air ports in said manifold section, said adapter ring having an outside diameter substantially equal to the outside diameter of the cylinder; and fixing means for fixing the position of said manifold section on the shaft in contact with the cylinder such that when pressurized air is introduced into said supply line, said air exits said air ports in said adapter ring and expands the sleeve thus allowing the sleeve to be moved with respect to the cylinder.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said fixing means includes an end section and a locking collar at the end of said manifold section opposite the cylinder, said end section adapted to exert a force on said locking collar to fix the location of said locking collar with respect to the shaft.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 further including means associated with said end section for exerting force on said manifold section in a direction toward said cylinder.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 further including means for providing an air tight seal between said manifold section and the cylinder.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said means for providing an air tight seal between said manifold section and said cylinder includes an O-ring between said manifold section and the cylinder.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 further including means for providing an air tight seal between said manifold section and said adapter ring.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said means for providing an air tight seal between said manifold section and said adapter ring includes an O-ring.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said fixing means further includes a body section intermediate said end section and said manifold section and lugs associated with said body section adapted to exert a force on said manifold section in a direction toward the cylinder. 